Aluminum & NADCAP Metal Heat Treating at Jones Metal
Jones Metal provides heat treating as a service, with a focus on aerospace and other industries requiring precision and care. Our approach emphasizes quality, attention to detail, and customer satisfaction, setting us apart from high-volume heat treaters. Our NADCAP certification demonstrates our commitment to the highest standards in heat treating metal processes for a variety of industries.
Heat treating is a thermal process that changes the hardness, tensile strength, and elongation properties of sheet metal through controlled heating and cooling. This process enables lightweight aluminum components to achieve the strength and rigidity needed for demanding aerospace applications—allowing paper-thin aluminum to support aircraft for years of reliable service.
What Makes Our Metal Heat Treating Service Unique
- Custom aluminum heat treating solutions tailored to each client’s needs
- Focus on problem-solving and meticulous part care
- Expertise in aerospace and other precision industries (70% of projects are aerospace-related)
- NADCAP-accredited heat treating processes ensuring highest quality standards
- Quick turnaround times: typically two weeks, with expedited services available
- 99% on-time delivery rate, far exceeding industry standards
- Use of 15% glycol solution for quenching, significantly reducing part deformation
- Four-agitator quenching tanks for optimal circulation and consistent results
- Ability to handle complex projects, including investment casting alloys (355, 356, and 357)
- In-house capabilities allowing for seamless integration with forming processes
- Responsive customer service with thorough pre-process consultation
- Complete transparency protocol–immediate customer notification if any process variations occur
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Our Five-Step Process for Heat Treating
At Jones Metal, we follow a meticulous, 5-step process to deliver the highest quality metal heat treating services for our customers. This comprehensive approach allows us to consistently meet your material requirements and quality specifications, no matter the complexity of the project.
Material Assessment
Evaluate the material to determine if it’s suitable for our heat treating capabilities.
Specification Review
Analyze customer specs and instructions to ensure they align with our NADCAP accreditation scope.
Process Alignment
Determine if we can meet your requirements or propose alternative specifications if necessary.
Pricing and Setup
Provide pricing information and set up the project in our system.
Execution and Quality Control
Perform the heat treating process with rigorous quality checks throughout.
Our Team and Expertise
- Small, dedicated team of five highly trained specialists for heat treating metal
- Operating around the clock with two shifts, ensuring constant availability
- All operators are NADCAP-certified heat treaters
- Minimum two-year certification process for heat treat technicians–ensuring expertise that prevents costly mistakes
- Additional 1-2 years of training for inspectors and testers
- Continuous in-house training and external courses for skill enhancement
- Small team size allows for better control and consistency in processes
- Always staffed and ready to react to influxes of work
- Consistent performance regardless of workload fluctuations
- Ability to maintain high-quality standards and on-time delivery due to focused, experienced team
Aluminum Heat Treating:
- Specialization in aluminum heat treating
- Solution heat treating and age heat treating (tempering) capabilities
- Annealing and stress relieving services
- Use of 15% glycol solution for quenching, reducing part deformation
- Four-agitator quenching tanks for optimal circulation
Specialized Metal Heat Treating Capabilities
- Used for lower temperature processing of the parts
- Primary applications: aging, annealing, and stress relieving
- Flexibility to adapt processes for specific customer needs
Aluminum Alloys We Process:
- Primary aerospace alloys: 6061, 2024, 7075
- Forged aluminum alloys: Specific grades available upon request
- Heat-treatable aluminum alloys suitable for high-performance applications
- Note: We do not process non-heat-treatable alloys such as 1100 or 3003
- High-temperature units for solution treating
- Rapid quenching capabilities
- Ability to freeze parts to maintain softened state for forming
Physical Constraints:
- Maximum basket size: 8 feet long × 4 feet wide × 5.5 feet deep
- Maximum part weight: 850 pounds per load
- Multiple smaller loads can accommodate heavier total volumes when individual parts exceed weight limits
Production Capacity:
- Solution heat treating: 2-3 hour cycle time per load
- Two 10-hour shifts for maximum throughput
- Aging ovens accommodate 1, 2, or 4 baskets, depending on oven size
Frequently Asked Questions About Heat Treating Metal
Warping is a common concern, and preventing it is our specialty at Jones Metal. Through proper fixturing and our specialized 15% glycol quench solution, we significantly limit warping compared to other heat treaters. We can also hand-straighten parts within the critical 30-minute window before freezing, ensuring your parts maintain their intended shape.
Our standard lead time is two weeks, though timing depends on several factors: the desired final condition (T4 vs. T6), material requirements, and our current schedule. Some materials require up to four days of natural aging before testing for T4 certification. We offer expedited services when schedule permits, though these carry premium pricing to ensure we meet all existing customer commitments.
We specialize in aerospace-grade, heat-treatable aluminum alloys, including 6061, 2024, and 7075, plus various forged aluminum grades. Non-heat-treatable alloys like 1100 and 3003 cannot be processed, as they don’t respond to thermal treatment.
Yes. You don’t need to send us parts for forming to use our heat treating capabilities. Many customers send us parts they’ve already formed or manufactured elsewhere, and we heat treat them and ship them right back. Our standalone heat treating service currently covers aluminum only. We don’t offer vacuum heat treating (used for other metals like stainless steel, titanium, and Inconel) as an outside service. If you need aluminum parts heat treated to a specific condition like T4 or T6, we can help whether or not we made the part ourselves.
We handle aluminum with extreme care throughout the heat treating process, using specialized fixturing to prevent metal-on-metal contact. Our experienced team understands that aluminum is soft before hardening, so we employ protective handling techniques to maintain maximum wall thickness and part integrity.
We are NADCAP-certified to the highest metal heat treating standards. This certification requires rigorous auditing and means we follow strict protocols where any knowing violation of standards could result in serious consequences. Our certification demonstrates our commitment to maintaining the highest quality standards in the industry.
Contact Us For Your Metal Heat Treating Needs Today
At Jones Metal Products, quality is our top priority. We are dedicated to delivering ultra-precise products to customers on time and within their budget. Our team has deep industry experience and the technical expertise to create precision components by heat treating metal. Call us today at (888) 479 9566 or reach us online to send us your drawings to get started with your aluminum heat treating process.